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The Final Empire
Era One — Original Trilogy
2006
Best place to start. This opens the Original Trilogy and the seven-novel core route.
Mistborn Era One Order
The three Original Trilogy novels in publication order, followed by Mistborn: Secret History as an optional immediate-context companion with a clear spoiler warning.
Read The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages in order. Mistborn: Secret History can follow as an optional companion while Era One is fresh, but spoiler-cautious first-time readers should wait until after The Bands of Mourning.
Related reading guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I start with Mistborn: Secret History?
No. It assumes knowledge of all three Original Trilogy novels and contains major spoilers for them.
Should I read Secret History after The Hero of Ages?
You can if you value immediate Original Trilogy context. For the spoiler-safer first-read route, continue into Wax and Wayne and wait until after The Bands of Mourning.
What comes after Mistborn Era One?
Continue with The Alloy of Law, the first Wax and Wayne novel, set three hundred years after the Original Trilogy.
